The Lost Benders of Republic City
by Slaycinder
Summary: Post LoK S1 Amon's reign has finally fallen, but the Equalist Movement is far from over. Mass disappearances of benders and non-benders alike have the city on edge, and the URC is out of leads. They might get a lucky break when three youths appear on the public scene; but can they be trusted? Or will Team Avatar have their hands full with a new band of enemies? MaKorra, BolOC
1. Calm Between the Storms

**Disclaimer: We do not own or claim to own Avatar: The Last Airbender, Legend of Korra, or any of the characters, places, themes and other creations affiliated with either show (as much as we would love to). We DO own our respective original characters, including our CCI (canon character insert), who has absolutely nothing to do with the shows or their creators. This Fan Fiction was created solely for entertainment purposes, and we will not accept your pointless flaming because it's pointless and we have better things to do. **

_**Bon à lire!**_

_**~Slay, Darth Xyris & Roxy**_

Legend of Korra: The Lost Benders of Republic City

Chapter 1: Calm Between the Storms

"Meelo's _asleep _again."

At a glance, everything seemed to be in order with the young airbender, but the drawl of his soft snoring gave him away. He was slumped in his meditative stance, knuckles pressed limply together, his head drooping, a restful trail of drivel falling from his mouth.

Tenzin didn't look up. "Please wake him; he needs to learn to stop nodding off during meditation."

"Aw, Tenzin, can't we just give it a rest for today?" Korra leaned back on her arms, sighing. "We've been here for _hours._"

"It's been forty-five minutes," Jinora corrected from Korra's right.

Korra pulled a face. "Four hours, forty-five minutes, _whatever!" _She threw her arms in the air and fell onto her back, staring dejectedly at the vaulted roof of the pavilion. "I'm still not cut out for this stuff."

Without opening his eyes, Tenzin calmly chastised her, "Korra, meditation is a very important part of our lives, especially as airbenders."

At this Korra jackknifed, unfolding her legs and leaning forward defensively. "But Tenzin! I've got airbending _down _now! Don't you remember a couple weeks ago?" She counted off on her fingers. "I've got all four elements: earth, water, fire, air…I even learned to energy-bend from Avatar Aang! I think I'm good! Why do I still need to meditate every day?"

Her rant earned a leveling look from Tenzin. "First of all, I wouldn't say you have airbending _'down' _just yet. Secondly, there is much more to meditation than becoming a good airbender."

Korra puffed a strand of dislodged hair out of her eyes and slouched, avoiding Tenzin's cool, glaucous gaze.

"Meditation is about peace of mind and body—separating yourself from the turmoil of everyday life in order to achieve a higher consciousness. I think you could truly benefit from it, Korra, even if you _have _realized your power as the Avatar. …I know it isn't an easy thing for you to do," a pleasant smile glinted from the corners of his eyes, "but you can focus very well when you put your mind to it."

"Unlike _some _people," Ikki jeered, prodding at Meelo's shoulder and watching with amusement as he swayed, undisturbed. She and Jinora started poking their brother to and fro like a game, giggling at the way he bobbed between them without so much as stirring.

Korra couldn't help but smile, though it dwindled after a few seconds. Her attention faded to the scene beyond the blue and gold-pared pavilion, out across the stilled waters of Yue Bay, where the jutting skyline of the city pierced the afternoon sky.

For a moment she heard the bustling din of the urban streets and smelled the acrid plumes of satomobile exhaust and factory pillars. For a moment she reveled in the action, the excitement, the never-ending rumble of life; but then the moment snapped away, and she was back in the sterling tranquility of the pavilion, the sharp air of the bay winding through the dark tresses of her hair.

She glanced fleetingly at Meelo and the girls, her eyes passing quickly over Tenzin and coming to rest on the boy to her left, who had slipped back into a subconscious state despite the others' tomfoolery. She hadn't crossed paths much with Yun in the months she'd spent on the island. Evidently he spent most of his time down by the bison caves, tending to the furry behemoths like his own personal flock. From what she did see of him, the fifteen-year-old was very devoted to the serene teachings of the Air Acolytes—a pleasant break from his rambunctious siblings, she bet.

Tenzin was watching her carefully, wondering what was on her mind. She shook her head briefly and sighed.

"Well…I _guess _I could give it another try," she murmured dispassionately. "I mean, if it's _that _important to you…"

Tenzin nodded peaceably, and the younger acolytes on either side of her cast encouraging smiles. Korra sighed again. She crossed her legs and straightened into a meditative pose, unable to conceal a slight twist of resentment on her face. Meditation really wasn't her cup of tea, but she supposed she could muscle through it for Tenzin; after all he'd done for her.

Silence flattened over their little corner of the pavilion. Meelo's napping was forgotten, and after a while, Korra was able to find relaxation in the stillness.

It was actually pretty nice—not so much the sitting and doing nothing, but the thoughts that came to her in her new quiescent state. The last couple of weeks had been something else; something _good._ With Amon's façade shattered, the Equalist Movement crumbled, losing most of its proponents to the Metalbending Police while the rest dissolved into lives of solitude. Crime rates plummeted, the Council regained control of the city, and fear drained from its denizens in one great sigh of relief. The nightmare was over. She had nearly forgotten what it was like to walk without throwing frantic looks over her shoulder, to think without a haze of worry clouding her mind; but that was exactly what the past few weeks had been like.

"Sorry to interrupt…"

The knot of acolytes paused their ruminating and looked up to find Pema, smiling placidly with a dozing Rohan nestled in her arms. Her face turned slightly shrewd when she spotted Meelo. "Well, it looks like the baby's not the _only _one who's tired." As if on cue, Meelo tipped over backwards, now blatantly sleeping on the pavilion floor and starting a wave of chuckles through the circle. Pema rolled her eyes and turned to Tenzin. "We just got word from City Hall," she said. "The new councilman has arrived."

"Already?" Tenzin's brows lifted, impressed. "We weren't expecting him for a few more days."

"He must have made good time," Pema offered.

"I'll say." Tenzin got to his feet and situated his acolyte robes. "Well then, I guess I'd better be going. Come, Korra. The Council will want you to meet its newest member—and I'm sure he'll be very excited to meet you."

Korra hesitated. "Uh...gee, Tenzin, you know I'd love to…but…"

Tenzin tilted his chin, his mouth a flat line amid the impressive angles of his beard. "Korra, as the Avatar, and an active voice within the United Republic Council—"

"Ugh! Okay, okay, I'm coming." She had to fight to keep her voice low; the last thing Pema needed was a groggy, screaming baby. "Just gimme a few minutes to change," she insisted, tugging at her own brightly-colored attire. Tenzin nodded, and Korra took her leave, wondering already what this new councilman would be like—and desperately hoping he was an improvement from the last one.

**A/N: Short and sweet and hopefully not dead-boring! And yes, you read correctly—because Jinora, Ikki, Meelo and Rohan weren't enough of a handful, we added another one (that CCI I mentioned). Poor Tenzin and Pema. xD Don't worry, Yun is perfectly relevant. Promise. More coming soon! RxR if you like.**

**~Slay**


	2. Councilman Hoku

**Disclaimer: Much to our chagrin we still don't own LoK. Or anything else, for that matter. ;_; **

**A/N: Sorry for the delay… College has this funny habit of monopolizing my time. I know, **_**excuses, excuses… **_**ONWARD! TO WHAT YOU CAME HERE FOR! Though I feel obligated to warn you—a good portion of this was written between 2 and 6 AM. Heh. Sleep? What is this? **

_**Bon à lire!**_

**-Slay**

Legend of Korra: The Lost Benders of Republic City

Chapter 2: Councilman Hoku

* * *

The soft blue splendor hanging over the bay changed at the edge of Republic City; it rose to the spires and thickened, enveloping the skyline in a polished glow of architectural enterprise that slid through the dark slivers of the boroughs and peppered the streets with daylight. The salt-laced scent of the sea fell behind, and the air swelled with a symphony of roasting food and the smoky bite of industry. Korra loved it.

"…This is an official Council meeting," Tenzin was saying. "An important conference between the most dignified individuals in the United Republic. Did you really need to bring _her?"_

Korra threw him an affronted glare. "Of _course _Naga had to come!" She leaned forward and snuggled into a wall of sleek, white fur. "Wherever I go, she goes—isn't that right, Naga?" The polar-bear dog rumbled in agreement, tossing Tenzin a slobbery smile. He shook his head, resigned.

"She'll be good," Korra assured him, running a hand along Naga's neck and straightening up in the saddle. For a minute or so they trekked on without speaking, the city crowds peeling around them at the sight of Naga. Up ahead, the gold-tipped towers and shining, celadon dome of their destination were budding into view. Any second now they would be able to see the tailored courtyard, and soon thereafter they'd be passing over the gilded threshold of City Hall.

"So…this new councilman," Korra began, but was interrupted when something came tumbling hastily into the street before them, causing Naga to stop and rear back in surprise, letting out a startled yap. "Hey! What the—?"

The door of a nearby pub had been pitched open, a teenage girl rolling to the concrete with a grunt. She was followed by a throng of wide-eyed onlookers who pushed the stench of smoke and drink into the street. The girl staggered to her feet and drew the back of her hand across her mouth. "You hit like a girl," she scoffed glibly.

A stout, ruddy-faced man wrestled his way through the crowd, glaring daggers at the teenager. "Why, you loud-mouthed little—" The man charged, winding back his arm to strike the girl across the face.

"That's enough!" Tenzin barked, whipping his hand to send a lash of air at the belligerent drunkard. The man fell backward into the frenzied mass of the bar crowd, stunned out of his anger.

The pub patrons fizzled back into their dim quarters, carrying the ruddy-faced man with them. Tenzin turned to the teenager. "Are you alright?"

With a roll of her shoulder, the girl shot him a grin. "I'm good. Thanks, air-head." Her amber eyes glittered between the two of them. "Nice to finally meet the famous Avatar and her airbending teacher."

"Er, thanks?" Korra blinked at the reckless stranger, then at Tenzin, who seemed to have absorbed the "air-head" comment with little emotion. "Well…if everything's okay here, we uh…we really should get going." She saw Tenzin nod agreeably before setting off, Naga falling behind him automatically. As they continued along the street, Korra couldn't help one last look at the stranger, who, once they took their leave, swaggered right back into the pub with a fist raised. _"Okay, you tea-swilling koala-sheep, who's next?"_

They walked in silence for several minutes after that, until finally Korra decided to break the ice. "That was…interesting."

"Hmph. Disgraceful is what it was. To see the youth of Republic City scrapping about in such…_lowly _establishments…"

"Tenzin," Korra soothed, "I'm sure that girl had her reasons for what she was doing. It seemed like she could handle herself just fine; and besides, who're we to judge?"

The acolyte kept his eyes forward but said sternly, "It isn't a matter of judgment, Korra. It's a matter of responsibility. It is our job to maintain order while ensuring that all citizens of Republic City are taken care of and given equal opportunities to…"

Korra rolled her eyes and zoned out of Tenzin's speech. The clean courtyard preceding City Hall now sprawled around them, and she could see the building's pearly exterior in detail; the conservative columns, the glint of the aureate pagodas crowning the towers. Behind that glorious display, somewhere in the shimmering atriums therein stood the man who would be replacing Tarrlok. She couldn't stop her lips from pursing uneasily.

"…a new face is just what this city needs after the fiasco with Amon, and I think Hoku will bring many valuable contributions to the Council."

"What's his story? How do we know we can trust him?" Without realizing it, Korra had pulled Naga to a stop at the base of the pallid opening steps.

Tenzin stopped as well and craned his face up to meet her disconcerted gaze. "There is no need to worry, Korra. Hoku's credentials speak for themselves. Besides, he isn't a complete stranger—to us or to the business of government."

When Korra didn't seem convinced, he sighed. "I understand your concern. And I assure you, we all share in that same concern. Tarrlok's betrayal…" he diverted his eyes for a moment. "…The Council does not wish to repeat that. Republic City could not afford it. But we can't go on _this way, _either. Without a representative from the North Pole, our council is out of balance, and we _need _balance if we're ever going to lead this world properly."

Korra slid down from Naga's saddle. Her expression still hadn't lightened.

"To be fair, Korra," Tenzin said, mollifying, "Hoku is not Tarrlok."

Something darkened in Korra's already tightened face. She reached up and stroked Naga's broad head, eying that gilded threshold distrustfully. "We'll see."

She supposed she had no reason to automatically doubt the new councilman. Tenzin was right; this man _wasn't _Tarrlok, and it wasn't like everyone from the North Pole was implicitly traitorous. The least she could do was give him a fair chance. But if he made one suspicious move, she wouldn't hesitate this time—and Tenzin knew that. Still, fair was fair. The new councilman deserved his own clean slate.

When the page motioned them into the conference hall, the rest of the councilmembers were already present; Councilwoman Azusa of the Fire Nation, who Korra understood had temporarily taken up the position of chairperson, as well as Councilmen Hyota and Tuan of the Southern Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom respectively. All three were understandably old, and robed in the traditional styles and palettes of their personal backgrounds. They stood clustered in the crook of the bowed conference table, chatting mildly with a stranger dressed in light shades of blue. That had to be Hoku.

He was younger than Korra expected—and not just compared to the veterans around him. He couldn't possibly have been more than a few years older than _she _was. Were people that young even _allowed _on the Council? Didn't these things have age requirements? Apparently not; and if they did, they must have been tossed out the window when the pickings got slim.

She could tell Hoku was older than his years, though, just from the way he held himself. He was tall and steadily-built, with a full, hard-cut face that wore its own youth like an uncomfortable mask. His bister hair was short and modern, but when he turned his head she spotted a signature Water Tribe braid at the base of his neck, a humble preservation of the culture he represented in this novel city.

The first person to notice them was Councilwoman Azusa. "Councilman Tenzin, Avatar Korra," she nodded amiably, cutting off the idle chatter and directing everyone's attention to the two newcomers—Naga was curled up in the entrance hall, content to wait out the meeting with a nice nap. Korra and Tenzin made their way to the throng of people, where the acolyte stepped forward to shake Hoku's hand. "I apologize for the delay; I must say we weren't expecting you to arrive so promptly."

When Hoku spoke, his voice was youthful, but at the same time solid with the intonations of a far more weathered man, "I know, but the sailing was good and I had already wrapped things up at home, so I thought I'd head down early."

"Well, we're happy to have you. Welcome to Republic City."

Hoku nodded and smiled, then turned his attention to Korra, his dark eyes glinting affably. "Avatar," he said with an splash of reverence, "I've heard such incredible things about your adventures here in Republic City. It truly is an honor." He was on his way to a deep bow, but Korra stopped him by extending her hand, which he readily shook instead. "Just doing my job," she insisted lightly, shrugging one of her shoulders.

"True. But it certainly isn't an easy one," Hoku said.

Korra wasn't about to deny that.

From there the conversation took a more business-like turn; the date of Hoku's public induction was set, and the terms of his responsibilities as a councilman were laid out and agreed upon. Korra even gained a more thorough understanding of Hoku's background—he'd been born a 'miracle child' to an official named Makaio and his wife Kala, and from an early age had demonstrated a true passion and considerable skill for government. Apparently he had been very active in the politics up north, and being called to join the United Republic Council was practically his dream come true. Admittedly, after spending time in the same room with him, Korra was starting to feel a lot better about the new councilman.

Roughly an hour had passed by the time Councilwoman Azusa announced that they had discussed enough for the day. "We shall meet again in one week to rehearse the induction ceremony," she declared, smacking the chairperson's gavel and officially adjourning the meeting.

"One week?" Korra spoke to Tenzin in hushed tones as they left the conference hall to round up Naga. "But I have practice then! Pro-bending season is starting up soon."

She expected to receive that famous, disapproving Tenzin-look, and was surprised when he nodded shrewdly. "Well, I suppose there is no harm in you missing the rehearsal," he allowed. "Just as long as you're present for the ceremony itself."

Korra blinked at him for a second, then a smile broke across her face and she pumped an arm in victory. _Yes! _

That had been completely un-Tenzin-like, but _she _wasn't going to complain about it.

* * *

**A/N: THERE. Damn thing's been sitting on my computer for weeks. Mocking me. . But now it's finished! The chapter, I mean. If this is the end of the whole story, then this has to be the crappiest fan fiction ever. Anywho, sorry if the ending was a bit **_**blah. **_**This sucker was getting **_**long **_**and I was running out of plot-movers. We'll get things going in chapter three (hooray for conflict!)—not to mention there might be a Mako and a Bolin pretty soon. ("About freaking TIME." Said **_**everybody.**_**) I give cookies to my reviewers! And to my haters, I give…A BOOT TO THE HEAD!**

**That's right. I just got all Ace Attorney on yo' ass. FACE.**

**Until next time, kiddies!**

**-Slay**


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